Josep M. Beá

Sánchez Zamora, Pere Calsina Norton, Las Percas

(b. 1942, Spain)

Josep Beá was born in Barcelona in 1942. He studied at the School of Art and Drawing in Barcelona, where he took courses in graphics, sculpting and industrial design. He started as a scriptwriter and comics artist for the Spanish agency Selecciones Ilustradas, contributing to sentimental titles for the British market, among several other assignments, among others for the French Artima publishers. Beá also co-created 'Johnny Galaxia' (renamed 'Space Ace' in the UK edition that began in 1959) In 1962, he settled in Paris for a while, and took courses at the Académie Julian, while putting his focus on painting and illustration. Back in Spain, he founded own studios and returned to comics, starting with several horror titles.

under the signature of Sanchez Zamora

In 1971, he drew 'Sir Leo' in Dracula, with part of the scripts by Luis Vigil. Later the same year, he began a cooperation with the horror titles of the American Warren publishing and appeared in Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. For Warren, he wrote and illustrated 'Tales of Peter Hypnos'. Subsequently, he blended SF with surrealism in 'Historias de Taberna Galáctica' and 'En un Lugar de la Mente', both in Spanish magazine 1984.

J. M. Beá was one of the founders of magazine Rambla in 1982. He and Luis García became its publishers in 1983. 'La Esfera Cúbica' was the first series that Beá put out for Rambla. Then he created the anthropomorphic cat Gatony, who was featured in 'La Muralla' and 'Siete Vidas'. Beá sometimes used pseudonyms, such as Norton, Pere Calsina and Las Percas on his comics work. As Sánchez Zamora, his most notable pen name, he produced such works as 'Once Nombres' and 'El Estado de Joey' for Rambla. Eventually Beá left García heading Rambla on his own and he launched the publishing house Intermagen. As a publisher, he reprinted some of the highlights of his earlier output, including a modified version of his 'Peter Hypnos'.

under the signature of Pere Calsina

In the late 1980s, Beá participated in TV adaptations of his comics and in the following decade, the highly-sexed compilations 'Perversíon Sexual' and 'Sexo Loco' appeared in the collection El Cuervo.

Currently, he is working on computer design for movies and publicity, and as an artist for movies and TV shows.